In the entrance to Resistenza, a community center in a Scampia school liberated from the Camorra mafia, visitors are immediately confronted by the powerful presence of Gelsomina Verde. Her image, prominently displayed amidst vibrant murals celebrating the spirit of anti-mafia resistance, serves as a poignant reminder of courage and defiance. In 2004, at age 22, Verde was murdered by a mafia clan. Her scorched body was dumped with a fatal gunshot wound to her temple.
"The moment [Gelsomina] was killed, it started a revolution," said Pino, Verde’s cousin. The Scampia Feud, between two rival gangs, lasted from September 2004 to February 2005, and resulted in more than 70 murders, reported “Vice.” The northern Naples neighborhood, with about 80,000 residents, was developed from the 1960s to the ‘80s as a working-class commuter town, with many living in towering buildings known as "The Sails."
Salvatore, a longtime resident, reflects on the turbulent days of the mafia wars that once plagued his neighborhood, "They would use fireworks to communicate, symbols for drugs… green fireworks, that’s where to go for marijuana. Delivery was a weekly base, you get used to it every day," he said.
The mafia's firm grip endured for decades, worsened by corrupt institutions and a lack of governmental oversight. A police station didn't even exist in Scampia until years after the height of the mafia wars.
“You couldn’t go out. Even for a normal person, it was hard to go shopping," Salvatore said.
However, Verde’s death ultimately served as a catalyst for change, propelling the community into action against the Camorra's reign of terror. Residents formed a group (translated): “(R)esistenza Association for the Fight against Illegality and Cammorrist Culture Scampia-Naples.” They wanted to reclaim Scampia from the clutches of organized crime in Verde’s memory. The Resistenza claimed an abandoned school that Camorra utilized as an armory and later a drug den.
Through grassroots initiatives and community-led interventions, Resistenza mobilized volunteers to cleanse the drug-infested plazas while gathering hundreds of community members and cleaning up the building over the span of two years.
“We cleaned up 45 bins of syringes,” said Ciro, a Scampia resident and volunteer at Resistenza. He emphasized that at the Resistenza center, 300 women actively participate in the Pilates and gym programs, and there are 200 children enrolled in the music school. He mentioned that the center also provides a photo lab, dance classes, a library, and an office dedicated to combating domestic violence.
Before Verde’s death, the clans’ code was not to kill women or children. Recalling why the community began to take action, Pino, a Scampia native, and member of Resistenza, reflects on Verde’s death as a catalyst for change. “Gesolmina’s death actually created a massacre because, among the two groups, they really started killing anybody: women, children, even women who were pregnant," he said.
Within the corridors of the Resistenza complex, Francesco, Gelsomina Verde’s brother maintains a dedicated office space. Amidst the hum of activity, he coordinates the efforts of Resistenza, striving to uphold the legacy of his sister who worked as a nurse and organized volunteer clown therapy programs in hospitals. Decorated with photographs capturing Gelsomina's smile and colorful posters advocating for peace, Francesco's office serves as a shrine to her memory. Francesco carries forth Gelsomina's mantle, continuing her work and amplifying her message of hope and healing.
“All the areas of Scampia that were independent of each other, my sister’s death brought everyone together,” said Francesco.
Over the last decade, the community has experienced a remarkable resurgence, thanks to the collective efforts of Francesco and organizations like Resistenza and the Municipality of Naples. Public works and redevelopment plans have revitalized the neighborhood, breathing new life into its streets and fostering a sense of optimism for the future.
“Internazionale” reported, “The clans, decimated by feuds (three in the last ten years) and arrests, no longer have the criminal luster they once had. Many affiliates of defeated groups have fled abroad or in any case out of the neighborhood and, as in other places in the city.”
As Ciro stood in the center community center, he reflected on the journey of overcoming the violence, and the steps they still need to take. “The only way to fight Camorra is by providing people with jobs. There is 60% unemployment rate among the residents of Scampia this year,” he said.
As Ciro reminisced on his involvement with Resistenza, his gaze swept across the murals adorning the community. “This industry of death has been repurposed into a thriving community center,” he said.
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